


The Queen and Her Knight

by MrRhapsodist



Series: Force Bonds [3]
Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Aunt-Niece Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Evil Artifact, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fugitives, Going Incognito, Hurt/Comfort, New Jedi Order, Romance, Sith Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-07 00:25:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11612091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrRhapsodist/pseuds/MrRhapsodist
Summary: In the midst of a galactic (and family) crisis, Jaina Solo reunites with Tenel Ka. She’s surprised when Tenel Ka introduces her daughter, and the heir to a contested throne. But they have to keep moving, as her brother Jacen, now corrupted by a dark power, won’t rest until he claims the girl for himself.





	1. Fugitive

**1\. Fugitive**

Heavy snow buffeted the retrofitted U-wing from either side, making it buck harder than a dewback in the worst summer of Tatooine. Not that Jaina Solo knew what made for a terrible summer on Tatooine. Her Uncle Luke had not been forthcoming on those details in the stories of his youth. Even so, she grappled with the stabilizer controls as the ship bucked one way and then the other.

From his port beside her, an astromech droid with green and gold markings swiveled his head toward her. R2-B3 let out a low, despairing whistle.

“I know, I know!” Jaina replied. “Just hold on a sec!”

She reached up and flipped a pair of switches, forcing open drag fins in a syncopated burst. Between the Force and her pilot’s training, she soon found her best sequence: a one-two, one-two pattern that channeled the worst of the heavy wind along the U-wing’s chassis instead of against it. The snow continued to gather and thicken along the hull, but Jaina knew one of her father’s old tricks. A simple push of a button triggered the fire-suppressant sprays mounted on top of the ship; the magnesium solution was potent enough to keep the hull from icing over as the U-wing continued its descent. With another flick of her wrist, Jaina made the ship level out and settled into a less turbulent course through the atmosphere.

Beethree emitted a cheerful beep. Jaina smiled and patted the droid’s dome.

“See? What’d I tell you?” She turned and glanced out the viewport as the clouds began to part. “Nothing to worry about.”

Mygeeto wasn’t much of a world to look at. Cold and dreary, its landscape was a mixture of crystalline fields that didn’t shimmer and rocky outcroppings. Only the outcroppings could host the handful of settlements, including the minor spaceport toward which Jaina now flew. It sat atop a slag hill in the shape of a giant metallic crab, all domes and low buildings forming a carapace, from which a series of landing platforms extended like claws and legs. She knew that this place had seen better days, way back before the Clone Wars, but from what she’d seen in the history holos, it hadn’t looked that much better.

Jaina had already switched from sublight drives to basic thrusters when her comm unit crackled. She tap the call button and waited.

“ _Attention, U-wing,_ ” a reedy Muun’s voice announced. “ _You have entered the airspace for Urbicus Spaceport. Please identify and state your business._ ”

Now came the tricky part. Jaina Solo wasn’t supposed to be here officially. Any hint of her name, and she’d have an unexpected visitor on her hands. Taking a breath, she leaned over and keyed her comm. “This is Captain Lora Vandal on UW-217-Niner. Requesting permission to land for a quick refuel and cargo pickup.”

“ _Captain Vandal,_ ” the Muun insisted, “ _your transponder isn’t active. Please rectify this, and state for the record what cargo you will be receiving._ ”

“Copy that.” Jaina triggered the transponder. When she saw a green light on her console flash, she grinned. “Are you receiving my signal _now,_ Air Control?”

That long pause on the other end of the channel said everything. Jaina had to leave Folor Base in a hurry, and she’d been lucky to get this wartime surplus transport as it was. She thanked the Force that she had a friend in people like Wedge Antilles. The new transponder, courtesy of New Republic Intelligence, was like having a master key to every locked door between Wild Space and the Core Worlds. By now, she imagined that a handful of anxious Muuns were trying to add the name Lora Vandal to whatever Persons of Interest list they had for bypassing the usual docking fees and procedures.

When her comm buzzed again, the Muun made an awkward cough before answering. “ _Uh, r-received and understood, Captain. Thank you for your cooperation. Please proceed to Landing Platform Twenty-One._ ”

“Copy that.” Jaina grinned and switched off the comm. “Okay, Beethree. Take us down.”

Her astromech responded with another cheerful beep.

* * *

Strolling through Urbicus Spaceport, Jaina could see that this wasn’t a place for tourists. The settlement was strictly a working town, as evidenced by the drab architecture and the endless train of repulsorcraft that carried fresh crystal deposits from the fields beyond the city limits. Jaina found it easy to blend into the crowd. She’d ditched her Jedi robes for a leather jacket and field-issue trousers. With an officer’s cap pulled over her eyes, no one would immediately recognize the daughter of Han and Leia Organa Solo. Just another cargo hauler on a break.

Some days, Jaina envied the anonymity that others had. On this day, she needed it badly.

Her eyes alighted on a flickering holographic sign, made blurry in the constant snowfall. Thermopolium, the sign read, above a series of glyphs in a language Jaina didn’t recognize. A soft series of chimes rang out in the cold air, leading her through a tall and narrow doorway.

Jaina squeezed her way into the establishment. She slipped past Muuns in worker garb, and she tried not to trip over a group of indigenous Lumens making a series of toasts with fermented drinks. Most of the bar’s patrons ignored her. They chatted and drank to the tune of the Bith music piped in over the loudspeaker. Lost in the crowd, Jaina forged a path to the bar. She caught the bartender’s eye, and the older Muun leaned down with a mostly friendly squint.

“Evening, Miss,” he said, his lipless mouth stretching toward a smile. “What’ll it be?”

“Corellian ale,” Jaina replied. She took a casual seat at the bar, and then, when no males came to make a clumsy attempt to flirt or intimidate her, she added, “Do you have any rooms to spare?”

“Hmm?” The Muun looked back from the drink he’d been pouring. He tilted the bottle away, narrowly avoiding a few precious drops spilled on the counter. “Oh, yes. Yes, we certainly do!”

“I have a friend I’m supposed to meet here,” Jaina continued. She kept her cap deliberately low, never quite meeting the Muun’s eyes. It’d be easier that way. There’d be less details for him to remember if anyone came and asked questions later. “She told me she might’ve booked a room here when I arrived.”

“Certainly, Miss. What’s the name, if I may ask?”

“Ellian,” Jaina answered. “Ellian Chume?”

Her heart stopped in the pause that followed. She prayed, or silently pleaded, with the Force for a miracle. That her friend was here. That her friend was safe. _Please let her be safe..._

Then the old Muun answered, “Yes, Miss. We have a guest by that name.”

Relief settled onto Jaina like a warm robe. She smiled and slid a pair of credits over the bar to the Muun as he passed her the drink he’d poured. Jaina didn’t even wait. She drained her glass in a single, burning gulp. It stung the back of her throat and made her eyes water, but that was fine. She was Han Solo’s daughter, after all. A stiff drink like this was nothing she couldn’t handle.

The person going by Ellian Chume, however, was another matter altogether.

* * *

Climbing the stairs to the hotel upstairs, Jaina paused in the first corridor she entered. She pushed up the brim of her cap and waited. When no one else came out of their room, she took a breath and stretched out with her feelings.

Details filled her senses with each new bit of ground she covered. The scorch mark of a haphazard blaster shot on the wall. A trickle of melted snow along a set of pipes. And, just as important, a pair of beating human hearts inside the room that the old Muun had indicated. The fact that there were two hardly surprised Jaina. One presence she recognized right away, and the other she didn’t. If she’d sensed danger or panic, she’d have leapt into action. But there was no need to hurry.

Removing her cap, Jaina stepped over to the last door in the corridor and knocked. She waited, counting down in an effort to steady her nerves.

The door opened, and Jaina caught only a glimpse of gray eyes before an arm threw itself around her. She sighed and leaned in to receive a kiss as her beloved drew her into the room and shut the door behind them.

“Thank you for coming,” Tenel Ka Djo whispered. “I had hoped it’d be you, Jaina.”

Jaina grinned and stole another kiss. When she stepped back, she held her friend out at arm’s length and appraised her. “You look well, considering...”

She couldn’t finish the thought. She didn’t have to, either.

“The loss has been hard to bear,” Tenel Ka admitted. She gestured at the olive green clothes she wore; they were a far cry from her lizard-hide armor and regalia. “But we’ve managed.”

 _We’ve managed._ A simple phrase, but it didn’t fit the gravity of the situation. The revolution that had toppled Tenel Ka’s family from the throne of Hapes was a serious crisis, not some trifling matter. The Ni’Korish Resistance had acted boldly, even for their ringleader Ta’a Chume. Not even she, being the grandmother to a “Jedi witch,” had been spared their wrath. In the chaos and the mutiny, Tenel Ka had disappeared, as had her mother Teneniel Djo. Her father Prince Isolder languished in a dungeon somewhere on Hapes, and the Transitory Mists had proved difficult to breach for the New Republic armada that had come to intervene.

Meanwhile, all Jaina and her family could do was sit around the holoprojector and soak in the news, horrified into silence. At least, until an encrypted message found its way to Jaina’s comm two days earlier.

Jaina looked around the room. Like everything else on Mygeeto, it was a dull gray and sparse setup. A modest pair of beds and a refresher, with no windows looking out onto the dismal street below. It was a far cry from the lush rooms of the Fountain Palace, but Tenel Ka was nothing if not a fighter, born and bred from the witches of Dathomir.

“You said ‘we.’” Jaina glanced back at her friend. “Is your mother with you? Your handmaiden?”

“No.” Tenel Ka reached with her hand and clung to Jaina’s arm with surprising strength. “Mother fled to Dathomir, to rally her people against any reprisals. And as for Eliador...” Her face turned crestfallen. “I... I haven’t seen her since my escape. I couldn’t sense her anymore... not since I made it offworld.”

“Tenel...” Jaina squeezed her friend’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you. But, as it stands, I have someone else to introduce to you.” Tenel Ka moved toward the refresher door. She knocked and said in a soft voice, “My dear? You can come out now. It’s safe.”

The door opened, and a small girl with brown hair emerged. Jaina’s eyes widened as soon as she recognized Tenel Ka’s features in the girl’s face. She dropped to one knee and smiled as the girl approached, nervously clutching a stuffed tauntaun doll to her chest.

“Jaina, this is my daughter Allana.” Tenel Ka leaned over and rested her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Allana, this is my oldest friend, Jaina Solo. She’s going to watch over us now.”

Allana peered over her shoulder at her mother, radiating unease in the Force. “Is she our new guard captain?”

“No, my dear. She’s a Jedi Knight.”

“A Jedi?” Allana’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. She looked back at Jaina. “You’re really a Jedi?”

“I am, Your Highness.” Jaina met the girl’s surprise with a calm, confident smile. She did her best to mask the utter surprise she was feeling. Five whole years, and she’d never once been allowed to meet Tenel Ka’s heir in all that time. She’d never even asked who the father was. It hardly mattered in Hapan culture, so long as the genes for good looks came through. But now, as she looked into Allana’s face, Jaina could see so many familiar lines that she almost felt like she could see someone she knew in her.

Pushing her feelings aside, Jaina continued. “And I’ll tell you something else. Your mother has asked me to protect you from what’s coming after you.”

Allana’s brow furrowed. “You’re going to protect us from Jacen?”

It galled Jaina to have to say it, but she made herself answer. “I am. I’ll stop him.”

But try as she might, she couldn’t help but be surprised when she caught a stray thought from Allana’s mind. The girl was so young and unfocused that her feelings read like an open book.

 _She’s going to stop my daddy from hurting anybody,_ Allana thought.

Jaina blinked. “What?”

When no one responded, she got to her feet. Jaina looked at Tenel Ka, but her friend was already retreating half a step. Already prepared for a violent backlash. And when she looked down at Allana, all Jaina saw was a scared little girl clutching at her stuffed animal.

“Did... did she just...?” Jaina shook her head. She fumbled to the side and grabbed for something—anything—to hold onto. Anything before she stumbled and fell to the floor. The best she could manage was to grab onto an ancient metal cabinet by the door, clinging on for dear life. At least until the world stopped spinning.

“Jaina, I’m so sorry.” Tenel Ka bent down and scooped her daughter into her arms. She carried the girl over to one of the beds and gently set her down. When she turned back, her eyes were full of unshed tears. “I... I should have told you years ago. You have no idea the secrets that I have had to keep, the things I’ve done, to protect my child.” She hung her head in shame. “And now, even now, I am still undone. I still lose my crown and my throne, and even now... Jacen is trying to claim her for himself.”

The words barely registered in Jaina’s ears. All she knew, all that she could see, was the sight of poor little Allana’s face as she hugged her tauntaun and looked so miserable and guilty.

There were lines on her face that didn’t come from Tenel Ka. She read into the set of her jaw, the shape of her eyes, and the general shade of her hair. All details that couldn’t match with the face and ancestry of a Hapan prince or a Dathomiri witch. Jaina had spent hours studying Tenel Ka’s face in private, but now she was looking at a face that seemed far more familiar than she’d ever dared to imagine.

“He... he really is her... her...” Jaina tried to make the words come out. She couldn’t quite manage it. She swallowed, and she tried again. “Jacen is Allana’s...”

“Her father.” Tenel Ka looked so defeated, sitting on the bed beside the girl. They couldn’t look more alone or helpless if they’d tried. “And that’s why I sent the message to you alone, Jaina. You have to help us hide from him before it’s too late.”

* * *

He listened to the Tusken Raider’s death rattle before he withdrew his blade. Emerald light shrank back into the hilt of his lightsaber, and the desert warrior collapsed into a heap at his feet. Nothing more than rags and meat, fit for the local scavengers. Just like the rest of the abandoned Tusken campsite, with its tattered, scorched huts and smoldering firepits.

The young man knelt down beside the Tusken Raider’s body. His fingers pressed into the rocky soil, leaving no impressions there. But that was all right. Deep inside, he reached out and sensed the blood trickling into the dirt. Traced its signature back to that same piece of terrain over fifty years ago, to where another masssacre had taken place. To where another man, another former Jedi Knight, had once drawn his weapon and cut down an entire tribe of Tuskens. Time’s flow reversed at the young man’s touch, and he strained to hear the cries of battle and the frantic screams of the other Jedi’s victims.

_Anger. Sorrow. Heartbreak. Rage. Even, to his surprise, a hint of joy. Not the affectionate joy of finding his lost mother, but the savage joy of crushing an enemy underfoot..._

All these emotions swirled in and around his refined senses. The young man understood now. He’d seen heartbreak at the blasted ruins of the moisture farm that his uncle once called home. He’d tasted sorrow in the abandoned hut where an exiled Jedi Master had once lived.

But this concoction tasted different. The fresh Tusken blood proved that.

And as he realized this, the young man heard a cold voice whisper in his ear, “ _You understand it now, don’t you?_ ”

“Yes,” he replied. The bitter night wind drowned out his voice.

“ _Power lies in the spirit. The Force speaks to our emotions. Not even the Jedi are immune._ ”

“They need a release,” the young man suggested. “A pressure valve. Or else their passion consumes them from within.”

“ _Yes. Time and time again, it is the Jedi way. Sowing the seeds for their own destruction_.”

“But there’s no saving the Jedi, is there?”

The voice fell silent. The young man waited. He knew how to wait. He was not impatient like his siblings. He was only curious to see where this road led him. To know the truth for himself. It had been no different when he wandered the Outer Rim Territories. No different when he touched down on a distant, swampy planet in the Esstran sector and found a restless spirit waiting for him there.

These past few years, his patience had been rewarded. He was learning so much more now. More than his siblings could ever have known.

At last, the voice spoke again. “ _The Jedi of your time are strong, but they only keep the peace. They do not seek to pacify themselves. They are blind to the rot from within. They know nothing of the balance._ ”

The young man had never seen the spirit’s face, but he knew the name that belonged to it. Once upon a time, the Sith of old had revered the magician Corvus Pall. With the young man’s help, the rest of the galaxy would learn to honor that name as well.

“ _You must start with a fresh mind,_ ” Corvus Pall insisted. “ _A young mind. Untainted by doctrine._ ”

As soon as the Sith spirit uttered those words, the young man heard it. A sensation of terror rippling out from across the galaxy. In his mind’s eye, he saw the cold, dreary planet where that terror first arose. He saw the run-down lodgings where that fresh, young mind was staying. Hiding from him. Where she hid from her destiny.

“Allana,” said the young man. “You don’t have to run. I’ll save you. I _will_ teach you.”

“ _She holds the key to balance,_ ” Pall whispered. “ _Born of your passion, and born of her mother’s peace. She could govern with true wisdom. But only if she has a good teacher._ ”

He could do it. He could really do it this time. Set everything right. Break the cycle of war and corruption that had festered in this galaxy for millennia. Expose the Jedi of his uncle’s generation to their own blindness. And Allana would be the key.

Rising to his feet, Jacen Solo opened his eyes. He ignored the cold body of the Tusken Raider at his feet and looked to the brilliant stars overhead.

“Don’t be afraid, Allana,” he promised. “Your father will bring you home safe.”


	2. Exile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaina offers her friends safe passage offworld. She reconnects with Tenel Ka and gets to know Allana a little more.

**2\. Exile**

No one questioned Jaina as she led her new passengers through the spaceport. She only had to point to the credentials on her datapad, and the Lumen port official waved her through. Even so, Jaina kept her eyes open and her Jedi senses attuned to her surroundings. The last thing she needed was an unexpected visitor to be waiting when she turned a corner, even this close to her own ship.

When they reached the U-wing, Tenel Ka glanced at the transport in concern. “Are you certain this will work?”

“It’s not a great-looking hauler, but she’s gotten me this far.” Jaina patted the hull underneath the cockpit. “It’s also the last thing anyone will expect a queen and her daughter to be flying.”

“That won’t fool Jacen,” Tenel Ka insisted. Her gray eyes flashed onto Jaina. “Not for a second.”

Jaina nodded. “I know. But it’s better than nothing. And the less we arouse suspicion, the easier we blend into the crowd. We cause a stir anywhere, and we’ll be creating a flood of emotion that Jacen can track anywhere across the galaxy.”

Tenel Ka hesitated. “I suppose you are correct. Much as it pains me to admit it.”

Reaching out, Jaina took Tenel Ka’s hand into her own. “Hey, you’re not bearing that pain alone.”

For a single moment, beyond the scars and the weary grief, they locked eyes with each other and remembered the better days. The halcyon days at the praxeum on Yavin 4. All before the day that Tenel Ka returned to Hapes to succeed her mother as Queen. Two days later, Jaina had enrolled in a special training program on Folor, and within a year, she was enlisted into the ranks of Wraith Squadron as a lieutenant. The moments where the two women had been able to steal away for a quiet rendezvous grew fewer with each year.

When Jaina heard that Tenel Ka had bore a child, she nearly gave up hope on their love ever resurfacing again. She’d almost gone back to Zekk, who had joined up with Lowbacca and Em Teedee on a long-term mission in Wild Space.

But here they stood now. Together, at last. And Jaina had sworn a vow to never leave again.

As Jaina hit the controls for the side hatch, a pair of small footsteps padded up the docking bay floor toward her. She turned and looked down at Allana, who half-hid behind her mother’s legs, still holding onto her stuffed tauntaun. The little girl peeked up at Jaina with curious eyes.

“Is this your ship?” the little girl asked.

Jaina smiled. “It certainly is, sweetheart.”

“Mommy says you’re a good pilot.”

“I’m one of the best.” Jaina thought it over for a moment. Then she crouched down, putting herself at eye level with the girl. “I’ve also got an astromech droid on board. Would you like to meet him?”

Allana nodded eagerly. Then she looked up at Tenel Ka, and her mother smiled her approval. The little girl raced ahead into the U-wing, and mere moments later, Jaina heard the girl’s squeal mingling with Beethree’s whistle of a greeting. She’d almost forgotten what a child’s laugh sounded like. It had been far too long.

“Are you all right?” asked Tenel Ka.

Reaching up to her face, Jaina brushed away the slight tears that had suddenly formed in the corner of her eye. She turned and gratefully accepted the hand that Tenel Ka placed on her shoulder.

“I’m fine,” said Jaina. “It’s just...” She paused to sort through the rush of feelings bouncing around inside her chest. “I just can’t believe I have a niece.”

Tenel Ka nodded, her frown sympathetic. “Forgive me. I always meant to tell you the truth.”

“Let’s get on board. We’ll talk once we’re far from here.”

* * *

Stars stretched into infinite lines as the U-wing snapped into hyperspace. Jaina set the proximity alert on passive, and then she left the cockpit in Beethree’s capable servo-grips.

In the main hold, Tenel Ka sat with Allana on her lap and her arm wrapped tight around the girl. Allana was too preoccupied with the game on her datapad to notice the tired look in her mother’s eyes. Jaina wanted to pick them both up and hold on tight, but she knew that there’d be time for that later. Security came first, and she needed answers if she knew what kind of danger she was going to head into.

Even so, the thought struck a pang of guilt. How could she not know her twin brother?

Jaina hadn’t reached through the bond in months. Almost an entire year. There’d been too much. Too much pain, too many scrambled thoughts. Jacen wasn’t well; she was sure of that. But as to how much of that turmoil came from a mental concern or from the tantalizing lure of the dark side remained to be seen.

“Tell me,” Tenel Ka said, breaking the silence. Her eyes, still weary, drifted up to Jaina’s face. “How is your family faring these days?”

Jaina blew out a sigh. She slumped into the seat beside Tenel Ka and glanced at her hands. “About what you’d expect. Mom is trying to hold the Republic together. Dad’s helping Chewie keep the peace between the Wookiees and the Trandoshans. Anakin got himself roped into a job with the Defense Fleet, trying to navigate a safe route into the Transitory Mists so that...” She paused and glanced over at the former Queen of Hapes with a blush. “Err, never mind. You don’t need to worry about that last part.”

“It’s fine.” Tenel Ka almost smiled. “I have had little else to think about since then.”

Jaina winced. “Uh, right. Sorry.”

“And your uncle and aunt? How have they managed?”

“Uncle Luke has seen better days.” Jaina swallowed. “He’s, well, gone into seclusion. Mara has taken over running the Order day by day. And the strain’s showing on both of them.”

She thought back to her last encounter on Coruscant. It’d been on the day before she’d gone to Folor Base and borrowed the U-wing. Luke had sat inside his private quarters, in a room that had been emptied of everything except for glowpanels in the ceiling and a cushion for long hours of seated meditation. Dark rings hung beneath his eyes. His cheeks now sported a thin, graying beard, and his robes were wrinkled and unwashed. Nowhere did Jaina see the bright-eyed man who’d guided her first steps on using the Force, or the dear old uncle who’d been delighted to talk about his days as a starfighter pilot.

Luke had put his black-gloved hand to his chin and stared at the wall. “I should never have let him go unsupervised. It was always too dangerous.”

“He made his own choice,” Jaina had insisted. “He chose to hide this from us.” _And from me,_ she added to herself.

“The dark side has a power that can’t be denied,” Luke had continued. At times, Jaina wasn’t certain if he was speaking to her or only to himself. “The light side offers peace, but that peace is fleeting. It requires sacrifice and vigilance. Jacen was always too bright, too eager for glory. Even his questions steered him toward some ideal vision of Jedi Knighthood.” He hung his head and sighed. “And it’s because of me. He wanted to live up to my example, to my legend...”

The guilt in his voice spread into the air of the room. Jaina could hardly breathe. She’d offered him one last hug and then did the same to Mara before leaving.

“Be safe, kid,” Mara had told her. “And bring back your fellow apprentice while you’re at it.”

Jaina had promised she would. Now she sat beside Tenel Ka, who looked as drained as Luke had.

“Can I ask how it happened?” she finally said.

When Tenel Ka met her eyes, Jaina looked down at Allana, still engrossed in her game, and then back up at her friend.

Tenel Ka nodded. Her eyes drifted over to the slim viewport on the side hatch, where the mottled blue lines of hyperspace raced by in silence.

“Jacen...” she began. “He came back years ago. He had told me he’d seen something in the Outer Rim. A teacher, or so he claimed. I knew something in him had changed when we last met. Jacen had become...” Tenel Ka hesitated. A thousand vicious words seemed to dance on the tip of her tongue. “Bolder. Less agreeable than before. Less concerned with the mundane world. He only saw the Force, not the people in his life.”

“And that was when you and he...?” Jaina didn’t want to finish that thought. She shut her eyes.

“Yes, it was.” Even Tenel Ka sounded disgusted. “And now I see how that encounter led to all of this.”

Jaina opened her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Think, Jaina. How must it have looked to my court, to have rumors spreading about their queen spending a night with a Jedi, and then to produce a child that matched none of my suitors?” Tenel Ka’s voice nearly cracked with sorrow. “I can already hear my grandmother’s poisonous words spreading to the Ni’Korish and beyond. Twisting lies about a Jedi dynasty and the end of Hapan sovereignty.”

“And she deserved what they did to her in return,” Jaina risked saying. She didn’t flinch at the memory of receiving that bit of news from Hapes. Ta’a Chume, old and afraid, being led to her fate by the same overzealous fanatics she’d unleashed, in full view of a cheering, bloodthirsty crowd of nobles whose respect she’d once commanded.

“Perhaps.” Tenel Ka shrugged. “Perhaps not. I had little time to consider the matter when the revolutionaries stormed the Fountain Palace. Nor when the Royal Navy split in two factions.”

“And when did you tell her?” Again, Jaina gestured to the girl in Tenel Ka’s lap.

Exhaustion spread over the former queen’s face as she closed her eyes. “I didn’t. She found out. The last time he came to visit, she read it in the Force. But when I saw what was in his heart, when I felt the shadow there... I knew.” Tenel Ka drew in a breath so sharp that Jaina almost mistook it for a sob. “I knew I could never let him near her again.”

Silence fell between them again, and Jaina rued the day she’d let her brother go off on his own. It wasn’t that a search for Jedi artifacts was an evil path to take. Master Tionne had done the same countless times before. But she could have been vigilant. She could have read the signs and tried to warn him against the lore of a long-dead Sith Lord. Hadn’t they seen what it had done to Kyp Durron? Didn’t he remember the story of how the Emperor had tempted their grandfather, cutting him off from the very people he loved?

Jaina had no answers. Only heartbreak, and a ship in transit to a distant corner of the galaxy.

* * *

Everything remained quiet up in the U-wing’s cockpit for the duration of the flight. Beethree swiveled his dome and made periodic reports about their ship’s status. Jaina had been so quick to requisition the transport that she’d barely had time for any repairs. She knew at least that the hyperdrive motivator and stabilizers were in working order. But as for the rest—including life support—she’d have to find out for herself. Which meant, when she wasn’t staring into the blue swirling void of hyperspace, Jaina was double-checking every monitor and making minute adjustments on her flight console.

 _Ease up, sweetheart,_ she heard her father say, in that slightly laughing tone she knew so well. _You don’t wanna blow a gasket when you’re obsessing with a few stray circuits._

Of course, that was easy for Han Solo to say. He’d managed to make the _Falcon_ fly since well before Jaina had been born. He played everything like a real ace, from calculating hyperspace jumps and pulling tricky maneuvers, but Jaina knew that half the time he was piecing together solutions and work-arounds as he went along.

Beethree broke the silence with a prolonged series of beeps. Jaina didn’t even need to check the translation readout to know what he meant.

“Look, it’s not the safest port, I’ll admit,” she answered. “But if you know a better way to reach someone like Karrde, I’m all ears.”

The astromech responded with something like a rude buzz.

“No. Absolutely not.”

Another rude buzz, this time longer than before.

“Because I’m the captain of this scow, and you’re the navigator. I set the course. You fly it.”

An interrogative beep, almost like a bird singing.

“Yes, he _would._ ” Jaina turned her gaze back to the swirling blue vortex beyond her viewport. “He’ll be tracking people closest to us. He knows their most likely locations as well as I do. That’s why we’ve got to be different. Do something unexpected.”

Beethree had no response to that. Jaina mulled things over in her head for another moment. Then she flashed her droid a friendly grin.

“Tell you what, though,” she offered, “if we _do_ get somewhere safe with Karrde and his people, you’ll be first in line for the oil bath and repair bay.”

Beethree let out a happy whistle, and Jaina chuckled.

She stopped laughing, however, the moment she heard a rustle from behind. Jaina reached out with the Force, but when nothing dangerous struck her, she glanced over her shoulder at the source of the noise.

Allana stood behind her chair, rubbing her eyes and clutching the thin blanket she’d taken from the main hold. She yawned, and Jaina’s heart threatened to burst at how adorable the whole scene was. She’d been used to dealing with small kids ever since she was one herself. Having to look after her little brother Anakin was often an adventure all by itself. But now, seeing Allana, Jaina wanted nothing more than to sit and watch the girl do whatever she pleased.

Jaina didn’t know if she’d ever have kids of her own. She could barely keep her love life on stable ground as it was. But for now, she had Tenel Ka and she had Allana.

If the will of the Force was truly just, it’d be enough.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” said Jaina. “Hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Mm-mm.” Allana shook her head and crept up to stand beside Jaina. She didn’t resist when Jaina picked her up and set the child down on her lap. “M’tired...”

“You sure are,” Jaina confirmed. She bent down and nuzzled the girl’s head with her cheek. “But you know something? You’re very brave, being with your mother. I know she’s proud of how well you’re doing.”

Allana hesitated. She looked up at Jaina, her eyes wide. “But what about home? She said it’d be—”

“I know she did.” A shiver ran through Jaina. She didn’t have to imagine the ruin that befell Hapes in the uprising; she’d seen plenty of holos documenting it. “But don’t worry. We’re on our way to a new place. It won’t be home like you know it, but it’ll be nice. You’ll be safe there.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” Jaina hesitated. She slowly bent down and kissed the top of Allana’s head. “Your Aunt Jaina’s not letting anyone get to you. I’m good at making monsters run away.”

For a moment, she wondered if she’d overstepped her bounds. Jaina knew that, biologically speaking, she was Allana’s aunt. But she didn’t really know this girl. Not in the way that she knew Mara. Allana had just been a name before, someone that Tenel Ka mentioned in her messages, but whose face no one had been allowed to see. Now she was real, a flesh-and-blood child sitting in Jaina’s lap and holding onto her like a stuffed toy.

It was, she reflected, the first real peace she’d enjoyed in months.

Allana’s head bobbed up again. “Aunt Jaina?”

Jaina grinned at the sound of her new title. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Is...?” The poor girl’s lips trembled. “Is Jacen a bad man?”

And there was the question she’d been wrestling with this whole time. Even while she took every precaution to avoid his attention, including letting go of their natural Force bond. Jaina sighed and idly traced a finger through her niece’s hair.

“What do you think of him?” she asked.

Allana shivered. “He’s scary now.”

“Yeah?”

“Mm-hmm.” Allana held onto Jaina a little tighter. “I don’t like the way he looks at me.”

Jaina had to clamp down on her sudden rising anger. She’d experienced something like that when Jacen had first resurfaced after his long journey. He seemed older now. Older, indifferent, and obsessed with some grand design that she’d never heard him talk about before. Nowhere did she see the sweet kid who used to make terrible jokes and collect animals and try so hard to be like their Uncle Luke. And not for the last time, Jaina wondered if that kid was gone forever.

“I don’t know, sweetheart,” she told Allana. “I know he’s not safe to be around. He’s...” She stopped to search for a decent word. “He’s not well. He needs help. He needs to go somewhere where people like your Uncle Luke can help him get better.” Jaina paused again, staring out the viewport. “If he even wants help...”

Allana nodded and let her head rest against Jaina’s chest. She smiled down at her niece and kissed the top of her head again.

“Sleep tight,” Jaina whispered. “I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere, Allana.”

* * *

Sunlight crept over the horizon as the landspeeder came to a violent halt outside Anchorhead. From his place within the shadow of the outer wall, Jacen watched the portly man hobble out of his vehicle. He landed on the sand with a grunt and shouldered his blaster rifle. The back of his landspeeder was loaded with wraid plates, fresh trophies from his early morning hunt. The man himself was bleary-eyed and trudging his way into the city’s eastern gate, shielding his eyes from the piercing light of dawn.

Jacen waited until the man was in arm’s reach. Then he struck.

There was no struggle. One moment, the smuggler was on his feet, and the next, he was on his back in the sand, staring at the emerald lightsaber blade pointed at his throat.

“Urk,” the smuggler managed to say. “Wh-what the...?”

“Quiet,” Jacen ordered. He kept the hood of his cloak raised, refusing to let the growing sunlight give him away. “Tell me your name, smuggler.”

As he spoke, he let his thoughts probe into the other man’s mind, coiling around it like a serpent over its prey. The fear made him that much more... malleable. Much more submissive.

“My name...” The man licked his lips. Jacen pressed down on the fog in his brain until he whined out, “M-my name’s Brasco Hoster!”

“And where is your ship, Hoster?”

“D-Docking Bay Thirty-Five!”

“And who is your employer, Hoster?”

The smuggler hesitated. Jacen rolled his eyes, and once more, he pressed onto the man’s brain. Not with any mind trick, but with genuine brute strength. The Force could crush it as easily as a hand around someone’s windpipe, given enough pressure.

“Ahh!” Hoster squeezed his eyes shut. He clutched at his head and whimpered. “N-no! P-please! I-I’ll tell you! It’s Karrde! Karrde’s the one you want!”

Jacen smiled at his victory. He extinguished his lightsaber and released his grip on Hoster. But only for a moment. When he knelt down, he placed a hand on Hoster’s forehead and summoned Corvus Pall with a single thought. The Sith spirit’s presence fell over Jacen like fresh raindrops. In the ancient tongue of his race, he whispered an arcane ritual.

“ _Eyah seh maat,_ ” Pall instructed. “ _Shu kor huaan._ ”

Jacen recited the words aloud, and watched as Hoster’s eyes rolled up into the back of his head. When he touched the side of the man’s neck, Jacen felt a faint pulse and the gentle flow of air within his trachea. Not dead, then. Merely sleeping. A sleep so deep and peaceful that it would almost be a shame to wake him.

With any luck, Hoster would wake up with no memory of this encounter. And by the time he awoke, Jacen would be far away from this dismal planet.

“ _Why not finish him?_ ” Pall demanded. “ _Mercy is a weakness._ ”

“This isn’t mercy,” Jacen answered, returning to his feet. He turned and proceeded through the eastern gate, where a pair of unconscious sentries lay. “A corpse with a lightsaber wound will attract attention. We need to be undetected.”

A hiss filled his ears. “ _You showed no hesitation with the Tusken Raider._ ”

“His death served a purpose. I now see the true connection between myself and the Force.”

“ _And what of your kin? Will her death serve us as well?_ ”

Jacen paused. He stared at his lightsaber, which was still in his hand. The design was so clearly modeled after his Uncle Luke’s weapon that it was almost a perfect replica. After a moment’s consideration, he clipped the hilt to his belt. Then he turned a corner and headed toward the first row of docking bays. He kept to the shadows, avoiding contact with any of the early risers now walking the streets.

“If Jaina dies, it’s because she isn’t really my sister anymore,” Jacen whispered to the ghost. “We can’t afford any distractions. Any emotional ties would upset the balance of this experiment.”

“ _Good,_ ” Corvus Pall murmured. “ _You are learning. Let nothing stand in our way now._ ”

He had a name, and within Hoster’s navicomputer, there would be coordinates to that name. Armed with that knowledge—and knowledge was power, as the Sith spirit always said—Jacen could finally set the stage for his life’s grand achievement.

He was close now. So very, very close.


	3. Refugee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaina attempts a safe landing, with mixed results. The quest to protect Tenel Ka and Allana meets with an unexpected add-on from their new allies.

**3\. Refugee**

The U-wing shuddered when it entered the atmosphere. From her spot in the cockpit, Jaina flipped a few switches. Sublight engines fell silent, and repulsorlift setup immediately took over. Their transport entered a steady, controlled descent into the noxious air of Nar Shaddaa.

Steel and glass spires rose into the air like grasping fingers, reaching up from a forgotten soil that only the displaced Evocii knew. Late afternoon sunlight gleamed off the sides of those towers, casting a thick orange haze everywhere Jaina looked. Hundreds upon hundreds of stock light freighters flitted in and around the massive spaceports like flies. One YT-2400 freighter buzzed Jaina hard enough to make her U-wing vibrate and tilt to one side. With a curse under her breath, she regained control and leveled out again.

She caught a glimpse of the offending starship peeling off to join another lane of inbound vessels. After a moment’s pause to extend her senses, Jaina didn’t grab any hint of impending doom or an ambush.

 _Not here,_ Mara seemed to say to her from one of their earlier training sessions. _They’ll get you in the shadows and on the ground._

With a sigh, she brought the U-wing in toward a nearby landing pad. Her NRI transponder buzzed a nearby air traffic control tower. By the time the transport had settled down on its landing struts, the tower had already approved its landing and sent a gruff word of thanks to Captain Lora Vandal.

“ _Just don’t cause us any trouble or nothin’,_ ” the port master growled over the comm. “ _Otherwise you spooks get to pay double the usual rate._ ”

Jaina acknowledged with a smile that the port master couldn’t see and then she signed off.

Behind her, Tenel Ka and Allana put up their weather cloaks. They were made for the harsh climate on Mygeeto, but they’d serve just as well on Nar Shaddaa. Jaina unbuckled her crash webbing and went over to them. She knelt down beside Allana and helped her smooth out the rubbery fabric around her shoulders.

From the side, Tenel Ka flashed a teasing smile, and Jaina tried not to blush. She didn’t mean to be so fussy, but seeing the girl now, she couldn’t help herself.

“Looks like we’re ready,” said Jaina, getting back to her feet and ushering Allana to her mother’s side. “Just remember to stick close to me. We don’t want to get separated in a place like this.”

“And you have someone here you’re going to meet?” Tenel Ka asked.

Jaina grinned. “I see Mara taught you well.”

The former queen gave a mock offended stare. “You should know. You were there, too.”

“I sure was.” Jaina shook her head and reached over to slap the controls for the side hatch. “But to answer your question, yeah, I do. Took me a few tries on encrypted channnels to set this up. But if we’re very, very lucky, they’ll find us when they hear my ship’s landed.”

Tenel Ka blinked. “And you’re certain no one _else_ will know we’re here?”

“I wish I could guarantee that.” Jaina glanced down at her boots. “I’m sorry. A direct comm call would’ve been too risky.”

“I understand.” With a mild look down at Allana, Tenel Ka offered her hand. The little girl took it and held on tight. Jaina stepped to the side as the two of them passed through the open hatch. Then she looked over at the faithful astromech droid sitting in the cockpit.

“Warn me if anyone comes skulking around,” Jaina ordered. “I promise I’ll be back soon.”

Beethree whistled in acknowledgement. Jaina turned back and paused on the threshold to the landing pad. Already, she could taste something like rust and sewage in the air. Like some mad scientist had mixed the industrial odors of Coruscant with the jungle rot of Yavin 4.

Without a second glance back, Jaina stepped off the ship and closed the hatch behind her. She joined Tenel Ka, putting Allana in between them, and nodded toward the nearest exit.

“Heads low, and we move together,” Jaina insisted. “Our new lodgings won’t be too far away.”

* * *

As soon as they left the spaceport lobby, Jaina glanced around the corner before she waved the others to follow. They arrived on a busy street leading deeper into Hutta Town. She did her best to keep her walk casual. No sudden moves, no furtive glances. Just a cargo pilot and a pair of civilians, nothing to worry about. She kept pace with Tenel Ka, who held on tight to Allana. Thankfully, the two Hapans had their hoods up. Given the grimy atmosphere, a hood and a rebreather were almost a necessity for any visitors. If any could stand the air on the Smugglers’ Moon, it was the smugglers themselves.

Smoke hissed from a vent off the side of a building as Jaina led the way down a narrowing avenue. They pushed through the crowd, bumping shoulders and getting assaulted with a dozen different languages. She wasn’t too fresh on her Huttese, but she got the jist from casual eavesdropping. So long as she didn’t hear _Hapes_ or her friend’s name, they were good, right?

Wrong.

They emerged from the shadows as Jaina tried to find a clear path to the first motel. Just to stop and freshen up. But no, not tonight, because now there were what looked like three mercenaries in rumpled flight suits emerging with hands on their blasters. A Weequay, a Rodian with orange quills, and a human, his face cut like stone and covered in tribal tattoos. Their eyes gleamed the moment they locked onto Tenel Ka and her child. Jaina immediately froze and put herself in front of the two. The Force whispered to her of how heavy and fast the mercs could move if provoked, and she reacted in kind.

“Evenin’, folks,” said the stony-faced human. He casually flipped his hand up from his blaster into a wave. “You wouldn’t happen to be that captain with the U-wing, now would ya? The one that just touched down?”

Jaina stiffened. “What’s it to you?”

“Oh, nothing much. Nothing much. Just, well...” Stoneface stretched out his words as the other mercs stepped around him, forming a loose triangle to cage the women in. “Well, it’d be a shame, is all. See, me an’ my boys here, we got ourselves a tip from the spaceport that a Captain Lora Vandal just flew in from Mygeeto. And wouldn’t you know, one of the port officers way over there owes _me_ a favor. So, imagine my surprise when we get wind of this same captain on our turf, in the company of...” He looked Tenel Ka up and down. “Hmm. I’m guessing a couple of royals? Recently exiled, perhaps?”

“You’re chasing stardust,” Jaina replied, raising her hands in a placating gesture. “These folks are just refugees from that war zone near Tapani. Believe me, I _wish_ I could get the credits for turning over Hapan royalty.”

“Is that a fact?”

“C’mon. Look at what I’m flying.” Here was where Mara’s acting lessons came in handy. Jaina added a plaintive whine to her voice. “It’s a Force-forsaken _U-wing._ You think I wouldn’t rather be at the helm of some ex-queen’s star cruiser?”

As she spoke, Jaina sensed a brief flash of anger—and bitter humor—from Tenel Ka. She reached back with a pulse of an apologetic thought, all while keeping her eyes on the mercenaries. She didn’t have quite her father’s bluster, but she was still a Solo and that had to count for something.

Still, none of the mercenaries seemed inclined to leave. Jaina took a step back, her hands still raised. “Look, fellas. If I were to hand you a few credits, might that tide over your... curiosity?”

Stoneface cast a hard squint. “You can’t possibly have enough credits to match that broken-down troop carrier.”

“Yeah, but I can _get_ the money.” Jaina kept a pleasant smile, even as she lowered her hands. Had to move nice and slow. “Look, one comm call, and you walk away rich—”

She froze when she felt the tip of a blaster pistol press into the small of her back.

“ _Oonta goota, Jedi?_ ” the Rodian asked.

 _Oh, shavit,_ thought Jaina. _Should’ve left my saber on board._

She felt the tip of the blaster dig into her lower back while long, spindly fingers grabbed at the twin components of her disassembled lightsaber from her belt. Jaina didn’t have to turn around to sense that Tenel Ka was slowly pushing Allana behind her. Through the Force, she could feel the fear radiating off her friend as the Hapan queen’s hand snuck into her robe for the familiar weight of her own weapon.

“Heh, whaddaya know?” Stoneface slid his blaster carbine out and aimed it at Jaina’s head. “Looks like we got ourselves a queen _and_ her pet Jedi. The Ni’Korish bounty’s gonna double when we bring you in.”

“You may yet, but not without incident,” Tenel Ka declared.

_Snap-hiss._

Turquoise light bathed the now-empty street. Tenel Ka’s strong fingers grasped around the rancor-tooth hilt of her saber. She threw back her cloak as the blade shimmered through the air, its tip pointed at Stoneface.

Allana dropped to the ground with a yelp. At the same time, Jaina spun around and kicked the Rodian, causing him to drop her lightsaber. She rolled into him, knocking him off his feet. As his blaster fired wildly into the air, she used the Force to pull the two components together, and by the time her weapon landed in her hand, her lightsaber unleashed its own violet blade with a satisfying hum that split the air.

Jaina watched as Allana ducked between the Weequay’s legs. The mercenary scrambled to grab her, but the girl was too quick. She slid behind a trash receptacle, and as the Weequay gave chase, he failed to notice Tenel Ka coming up from behind. The hand he used to reach out for Allana suddenly fell to the ground, neatly severed at the wrist.

Ignoring the Weequay’s howl, Jaina spun around. Her blade was already angled to deflect the first three blaster shots that Stoneface got off. Spinning and weaving her lightsaber into a circle, Jaina continued to advance, remembering the forms she learned from Mara as she closed in on the merc leader.

However, a shot from the Rodian grazed Jaina’s thigh. She yelped and nearly dropped her blade. Stoneface grinned, and he raised his blaster to her face again.

“No hard feelings,” he said, “but they’ll take you dead or alive.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” Jaina answered through gritted teeth. She fought past the pain, and she slowly raised her blade to guard.

Stoneface’s finger tightened on the trigger.

Then something small and silvery hit the back of his hand, and his shot went wild. It narrowly flew past Jaina’s shoulder, and she looked back to see a silhouette appearing in the nearby smoke at the other end of the street.

That silhouette split into three shadows. Clearing the smoke, the shadows came out, all visibly human and all visibly armed. At the head of the pack was a woman with long dark hair and a spacer’s jacket. She held a trio of lacquered zenji needles in one hand, and when she met Jaina’s gaze, she laughed.

“Hey, kid,” said Shada D’ukal, “it’s about time you showed up. We were ready to leave.”

Jaina closed her eyes in relief. She didn’t need to watch as Stoneface and the other mercs traded shots, only for a barrage of blasterfire and zenji needles to come back their way. She didn’t need to watch as the bounty hunters called out to one another and made their escape, their footsteps fading away on the permacrete.

When she stood, Jaina dusted herself off. She switched off her lightsaber and returned it to her belt. As Shada approached with her two men, Jaina offered a lopsided grin.

“You know I _was_ going to call you,” Jaina insisted. “Honestly.”

“Sure you did. You’ve got your dad’s sense of timing.” Shada shook Jaina’s hand and tilted her head. “Or is that just common throughout your family?”

“Hard to tell some days.”

“Hmm. No wonder Mara fits in so well.”

“She says hi, by the way.”

“Good. Tell her being Karrde’s second-in-command isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and she owes me big-time.”

Jaina laughed. “Will do!”

Meanwhile, she heard a rustle, and turned to see Tenel Ka approaching. The queen had Allana in her arm and clinging tight to her shoulder. Given the protective curl around her daughter, it was clear that she wasn’t taking any more chances with strangers. Jaina flashed her a concerned glance. She quickly moved to touch the queen’s shoulder, and then she ruffled Allana’s hair.

Tenel Ka responded with a brief, almost grateful smile. A warmth like sunshine flowed through their bond. Then she turned to Shada and raised her voice. “You have my thanks. My family is indebted to you and your crew.”

“Uh, thanks?” Shada shrugged. “Honestly, we’re just here because Karrde says so. And, as it turns out, Karrde needs _your_ help.”

Jaina blinked. “Come again?”

“Listen, it’s better if we don’t discuss this out on the street.” Shada glanced back at her men, and they began to walk back the way they came. “Come on. The ship’s not too far from here. We can talk more there.”

* * *

The _Wild Karrde_ was one of those legendary vessels that had been around like the _Millennium Falcon,_ longer than Jaina had been alive. It was currently docked in a bay designed to receive bulk transports, with umbilical tubes and power cables dangling from every available surface. Shada led the way onto the ship, nudging fellow smugglers and spies out of their path. For security’s sake, Tenel Ka and Allana left their hoods up, and Jaina kept on the officer’s cap to cover her eyes. Not that she didn’t trust Talon Karrde’s people, but she’d made it this far with little interference and a lot of stealth. Mara would’ve had her hide if she broke cover too soon.

They arrived in a small cargo hold converted from crew quarters. Shada had them sit down on a set of crates. Then she turned and made a gesture at the doorway.

In the doorway, a massive white-furred Togorian bared her fangs. She nodded and stepped to the side of the door before hitting the control pad. The door slid shut, and Shada finally let out a tiny, relieved smile.

“Thank the Force,” she murmured.

“Any particular reason why?” Jaina asked.

“You have no idea.” Shada nodded to the door. “That’s why I asked H’sishi to stand guard. Warn off any prying ears.”

“You don’t trust your own crew?”

“I do.” Shada lowered her eyes. “Most days. Karrde knows them better.”

Jaina exchanged a glance with Tenel Ka. Her friend—who was a lot more than that _,_ Jaina reminded herself—pulled Allana into a tighter hug. Then she looked over at Shada. “I was under the impression he could give us refuge?”

“ _We_ can,” Shada corrected her. Spreading her hands out, she looked over at Jaina. “But truth be told, Karrde’s missing in action.”

A chill ran down Jaina’s spine. “Recently?”

“Yeah.” Shada anxiously glanced at the door again. Jaina did, too. When no one walked by outside, the older woman pulled a length of hair away from the side of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She looked more defeated with each passing second.

“So, here’s what we know,” Shada continued. “Last week, Karrde had us sit tight here on the Smuggler’s Moon. He and Aves went off to Tangrene to negotiate with the local nomads. Word got back to us a while back about this wartime cache of Imperial weapons buried somewhere there. We figure one of the nomad clans got their hands on it, so Karrde decided to go and see if it was true. Then, and only then, he’d let both the Republic and the Empire know about the cache.” A ghost of a smile touched Shada’s lips. “Spare them a wild bantha chase, he’d said.”

Jaina’s stomach sank. She didn’t resist when Tenel Ka scooted closer to her on the cargo crate. “Then what happened?”

“Karrde missed the deadline for his meetup yesterday. We knew better than to leave since we were still waiting for your signal at the port, but...” Shada shook her head. Black hair trailed its way out around her eyes again. “I’m sorry, Jaina. I really am. But we need your help more than you need ours. If we don’t find Karrde, then this whole intelligence outfit he’s set up will be running on borrowed time.”

Jaina didn’t need another second. “Karrde’s a family friend. If he’s in trouble, then we’ll help.”

“You’re sure?” Shada looked between the other women in the hold. “I know two of you just left a war zone. We can still arrange for safe passage on our ship—”

“It is fine,” Tenel Ka interrupted. Jaina looked back and saw a fire in the warrior’s gray eyes. She didn’t look back at Jaina, but stared ahead at Shada. For the first time since their reunion on Mygeeto, Tenel Ka didn’t look as cowed or anxious as before. She met the smuggler’s gaze with a stoic, regal demeanor. “We Jedi are used to danger. And innocent lives are at stake. We will go as soon as you’re ready.”

“Well, look, I’d hate to be the one who got a queen in the line of fire, but—”

“You won’t be,” Jaina reassured her. She rose from the crate and rested her hand on Tenel Ka’s shoulder. “I swore a vow to never leave these two. If they’re going anywhere, it’s with me. And if I’m going to Tangrene, then so are they.”

* * *

It was, all things considered, a beautiful night out in the wastelands. He sat with his back to the mouth of the cave, warming himself by the firepit he’d set up. Such a simple thing, building a fire to keep himself warm when he could’ve bent the environment to his will with the raw power of the Force. But some indignities he could suffer now. Some things had to be done by hand. And when the fire kept him warm, he could continue to sit and look up at the starry skies in peace. Track the silent, imperceptible motion of constellations and planets overhead, and where they all fit into the grand scheme of the universe.

Somewhere in the cave, he felt the older man stir and groan. That was fine. Let him drift in and out of his sleep. He would only be useful for a short while longer. His pain flickered in and out of the Force like a candle against the wind, almost but not quite fading away.

“ _Pain will draw them in,_ ” said Corvus Pall. His presence settled over the young man’s shoulders like an old, familiar cloak. “ _They weaken themselves for the weak. Just as you once did._ ”

“Weakness can be temporary,” Jacen answered. He continued to track the stars in the sky. So pure and bright, they shone. They stood for centuries, shifting and growing, bursting apart before they gave birth to planets and future stars.

“ _The Jedi you envision will be strong, but only so long as they answer for their passion._ ”

“The Jedi will be whatever they choose to be. They will drink from both the light and the dark. They will _decide_ good and evil.”

“ _Yes,_ ” the spirit answered with a hiss. “ _Exactly. No more questions, my student. No more doubts. Only the Force will sustain us through the trials to come._ ”

He could feel the truth of his teacher’s words. And more than that.

Somewhere in those stars, Jacen felt a glimmer of hope. A flicker of non-celestial motion. Something akin to a starship reverting from hyperspace. A tiny star breaking away from the endless vista and falling to the ground to join him.

Rising to his feet, Jacen smiled and saluted the falling star.

“I suppose I’d better get moving,” he said to the Sith spirit.

“ _Yes,_ ” Corvus Pall answered. “ _We must hurry. The end approaches._ ”


	4. Nomad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaina and Tenel Ka face a key question about their future. A confrontation occurs on Tangrene.

**4\. Nomad**

From orbit, Tangrene seemed like a decent world, full of mottled greens and browns rolling beneath constant cloud formations. But the U-wing ride to the surface revealed a stark contrast. Arching, jagged mountains gave way to long canyons, cut deep into the soil like gashes. Jaina sat in the cockpit, observing the lack of information coming across her monitors. She barely saw any signs of lifeforms or technology of any kind across the planet. Even when she reached out with her senses, all she got in returns were brief pulses. Flickers of emotion too faint to consider.

All except for one.

Someone, down there on the surface, was laying in pain.

She knew that presence.

“He’s there,” Jaina called back to the main hold. “Not sure where, but Karrde’s definitely here.”

Shada was at her shoulder in an instant. She leaned over to point at one of the readouts. “Wonderful. Now, input these coordinates, and we’ll bring it down...”

Jaina nodded and did as instructed. But even as she and Beethree began the ship’s controlled descent, she couldn’t help reaching back through the Force to the hold where Tenel Ka sat, still clinging to Allana.

Tenel Ka’s worry radiated stronger than a pulsar. Even as protective as she was of her new niece, Jaina had argued that the girl might be safer in orbit on the _Wild Karrde_ with Tenel Ka, or at least with a trusted crewmate like H’sishi or Dankin. But Tenel Ka had been adamant on coming, and where she went, there Allana would go, too. The fact that Allana had chosen to cling to Jaina’s leg and offer a pout worthy of a Hapan courtier only cemented that fact. Throwing up her hands, Jaina had given in, and now she found herself reaching out to Tenel Ka again.

A questioning pulse reached her, almost a full thought that carried the words _a moment please._

Nodding to herself, Jaina turned to Beethree. “You can handle the landing cycle on your own, right?”

The astromech responded with a sound she could only describe as a fading whine.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Jaina stood and patted the droid’s dome as she headed back. “Oil bath’s all yours on the _Wild Karrde._ I’ll keep my promise.”

Beethree let out a cheerful beep, and Jaina left the cockpit. She slipped past Shada, who sat on her own chair and methodically checked her arsenal, and went to take a seat beside Tenel Ka. When those gray eyes locked onto Jaina’s face, the hope she read in them made her heart flutter. Almost like they were teenagers fumbling around again.

“Hey,” said Jaina.

“Mm.” Tenel Ka tightened her arms around Allana, who didn’t seem to mind. She’d almost fallen asleep during the trip from Nar Shaddaa. Jaina slid her fingers along the girl’s hair and brushed it away from her face, hoping for a better view.

“She’s cute when she’s like this,” Jaina remarked.

“She is,” Tenel Ka agreed. Now her eyes were locked on her daughter. “I’d give everything in my power to keep her this way. Safe and sleeping in my arms.”

Jaina hesitated. Then she looked Tenel Ka in the eye. “And what about your throne?”

“What about it?”

“I guess, in all the excitement, I never thought to ask. Do you even want to reclaim it now?”

For a long time, Tenel Ka said nothing. Jaina realized that she’d made a blunder and kicked herself mentally. She refocused her efforts on breathing techniques and watching sweet little Allana take her well-deserved nap.

Then, as the winds of Tangrene buffeted the U-wing from side to side, Tenel Ka lifted her head and met Jaina’s eyes.

“Do you remember that time back on Yavin 4?” she asked. “There was this moment, when I came to your quarters. It was just after Mara had taken me on as an apprentice. I’d come to ask you about how you felt about me, and how I worried that...” She paused. “I was afraid, then, that I might prove a distraction to your studies.”

Jaina nodded. “Of course I remember.”

“I’ve had the same fear lately.” The former queen nestled Allana’s head in the crook of her shoulder. “Worrying that I’ve been running away with my daughter instead of rallying the Republic to my defense. But getting in touch with our feelings on Yavin 4 was not a distraction, Jaina. And now I’m beginning to think that this approach isn’t either.”

Again, Jaina nodded. “Right. We need to find Jacen and—”

“Not only that,” Tenel Ka interrupted. Her eyes softened. “Yes, I want to stop him. I know our paths will cross, and I... I am dreading it.” She swallowed. “But I also think about you.”

“Me?”

“I’m no longer the Queen Mother of Hapes.” Tenel Ka shook her head, looking as if a massive weight had settled on her shoulders. “Perhaps I was never meant to be. Perhaps you were never meant to be so attached to Wraith Squadron either.”

Jaina’s heart beat a hard and fast rhythm. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I want _this_ , Jaina.” As she spoke, Tenel Ka grabbed Jaina’s hand. She drew it over Allana’s shoulder and placed it there. Then the warrior tightened her grip over Jaina’s hand, and a hot streak shot through Jaina like blasterfire. She couldn’t breathe when she stared deep into the other woman’s eyes. When she saw the gentle curve in her lips. “I want this. The three of us. More than anything else.”

“Tenel Ka, I...” It took Jaina another minute to realize that she had no idea how she was going to finish that thought. When she did, she snapped her mouth shut and looked over at their hands, locked together and sheltering Allana while she snored.

Years ago, back on Yavin 4, she heard Mara saying, _If you take your training seriously as you do your relationships, you might find a way to resolve both._ And the longer Jaina thought it over, the more she began to see the wisdom in those words. On her own, she’d only been a partial success. An ace pilot and an able fighter, but forever stumbling from one firefight to the next, whether as a Jedi or as a Wraith. Now she was flying and running with her head ducked, trying to ignore the well of emotions that boiled inside her whenever she and Tenel Ka were this close together. Trying to ignore the guilt over her brother’s actions. And trying to but never quite dealing with her unresolved feelings toward Allana, her unexpected delight of a niece.

A thousand old, tired excuses drifted through Jaina’s mind. _I have to think about my oath to the Republic. I can’t be your girlfriend while I’m flying all those missions. I won’t put you and Allana in any more danger. It’d never work between us..._

That last one, she knew, was a lie.

It could work, but only if she made an effort.

“When this is all over,” Jaina promised, “I’ll be there for you.” She glanced down at the sleeping child and squeezed her shoulder. “And for her. In whatever way you need me.”

Tenel Ka’s whole face lit up, and Jaina couldn’t be more pleased. She didn’t resist when the other woman leaned over, and their lips met in a gentle, probing kiss.

_Clank._

The sudden noise broke them apart, and not a moment too soon. Jaina turned around in time to see Beethree’s dome swiveling toward her. The U-wing’s landing gear had extended, and they touched down safely on the ground. A low rumble brought Jaina back to her feet, ready for action. But even so, she remembered to stop and extend her hand, to help Tenel Ka up as well.

“Alright,” said Shada, getting up. She spun her blaster around her finger before dropping it into her holster. “Gear up. It’s a short walk to the place where our guides will meet us.”

* * *

It took a few kilometers of solid trekking before they found the guides. Shada came to a halt and pointed to a small outcropping, where two figures stood out against the overcast sky. Jaina shielded her eyes from the persistent glare. She waited for Tenel Ka and Allana to catch up. By now, Tenel Ka had resorted to carrying Allana with her one good arm. If she showed any signs of tiring, Jaina couldn’t spot it.

The Tangrene nomads met them halfway down the rocky slope. One was tall, with gray skin and luminescent eyes, or so it appeared to Jaina from beneath the hood of his tattered cloak. His long, bony fingers grasped onto a walking staff. His partner had the same withered face, but with slightly more weight and a shorter stature. He gripped onto the reins of a pair of pack animals, giant lizard mounts large segmented tails. They growled and hissed at the newcomers, but Tenel Ka only had to stare back before they retreated in submission.

“ _Boga-ya,_ ” said the tall nomad. He gestured to himself. “ _Baresh maneh. Kalaban maneh. Corax sun maneh. Shalma sey._ ”

“Kalaban and Corax,” Shada added by way of introduction. She lifted her hand to the distant mountain, where a thin plume of white smoke drifted by. “Their encampment isn’t far from here. They’ve offered us a ride over the rest of the terrain.”

“We’d better hurry,” said Jaina.

As soon as she did, she felt it. An imperceptible shift in the flow of the Force around her.

Another flicker of Karrde’s pain, and then fell the shadow.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time they rode into the campsite. Tiny huts made of gray animal hide stretched out across the side of the mountain. Jaina noticed that the huts higher top were larger and produced bigger campfires, judging by the smoke billowing out from the peak of the domes. She couldn’t be sure, but she guessed that they reflected some hierarchy within the nomadic culture. In any case, she barely saw any other Tangrene natives when their lizard mounts galloped into the area.

“This isn’t right,” Shada commented. She glanced from her spot behind Kalaban’s saddle at Jaina. “They wouldn’t have left by now.”

“All their dwellings are intact,” Tenel Ka added. Her eyes darted around the campsite, even as her arm tightened around Allana. “We must be cautious. There could be a—”

“ _Boga-tay!_ ” a voice cried out in the distance.

Corax pulled up the reins to his lizard mount before jumping off. He ran forward, just as another nomad appeared from behind one of the huts. It took Jaina a few seconds to realize that it was one of the tribe’s women, judging by the hair that fell out of her hood and the generous bosom appearing through her robes. She rushed into Corax’s arms and continued to jabber excitedly. Kalaban remained atop his lizard, watching the two, his face impassive.

Meanwhile, Shada stepped forward, leaning in so that she could listen in on the chatter. A moment passed, and then her face lost all of its color.

“Oh, _shavit_ ,” she hissed.

Jaina stared. “What?”

“It’s Karrde. They...” Shada ran a hand across her face, wiping away sweat. She buttoned up her jacket and started walking over to Corax and his mate. “We’ve gotta hurry. Karrde’s hurt. They... they found him, and we need to... we need to go! Now!”

“ _Gura mat-enda,_ ” Kalaban replied. He gestured to Shada, and then back to Tenel Ka and Allana, who remained in the saddle behind him. “ _Kor baresha mateh. Gura skelma maneh._ ”

Shada nodded, then turned to Jaina. “Right. Let him take the others to his home. It’s near the edge of the village, and they’ll be well-hidden for now. Meanwhile, you and I will get Karrde, and we’ll get him patched up.” Before Jaina could respond, Shada reached over and squeezed her arm. “Please say you’ll come?”

“I’m not much of a healer,” Jaina admitted.

“It’s okay. I know some basic field medicine.” Shada bit on her bottom lip. “I just need those Jedi senses of yours. Sweep the area for ambushes.”

Jaina nodded. “Right. Okay, then.”

Shada was already turning away and marching to follow Corax into the camp. When Jaina turned back, she was about to offer a quick goodbye to the others.

Instead, a sudden surge in the Force grabbed her attention, and before she knew it, her lightsaber was in her hand. Its violet blade sprang free, casting its light across the darkened huts.

“Ahh!” Allana’s cry cut through the night air. Within an instant, Tenel Ka was thrown from the back of the rearing lizard, as Kalaban yanked Allana toward him. But he didn’t use his hands to grab her. Instead, the girl flew toward him as if yanked there by some powerful magnet.

And it was then that Jaina understood.

“Jacen!” she cried. “Let her go!”

The hooded figure atop the lizard pressed a hand to Allana’s forehead. In a heartbeat, the girl stopped struggling and fell limp into his arms. Only then did the figure turn around. By now, the luminescent eyes and the withered face had vanished, leaving only a familiar lopsided grin in their place.

“Don’t try to stop what’s coming,” Jacen warned.

And with that, he kicked his heels into the lizard’s hide. The great beast darted back down the mountain.

Jaina rushed after him, but she stopped when she reached Tenel Ka. The ex-queen lay coughing on the ground, clutching at her side.

“Don’t...” Tenel Ka groaned as Jaina tried to help her sit up. She waved her off. “Don’t let them go... please, Jaina... you swore...”

“And I’ll keep that vow,” Jaina insisted. She leaned forward and kissed the top of Tenel Ka’s head. “Stay here with Shada. I’ll be back.”

Before anyone could even protest, Jaina stood and walked over to the lizard that Corax had ridden into the village. She leapt onto the beast’s saddle with a Force-assisted leap, and while the creature tried to buck her off at once, Jaina reached into its mind and made a tiny gesture. An aura of peace washed over the lizard, making its yellow eyes fall half-shut. It was a sign of trust in some pack animals, as a once-cheerful young man had explained it to her.

Gritting her teeth, Jaina clipped her lightsaber to her belt. She dug her heels into the lizard, and it went galloping down the mountain.

Far below, the hooded figure rode off with his prize.

* * *

“ _Faster,_ ” Corvus Pall hissed into Jacen’s mind. “ _Faster, and faster. The girl’s mind is still pure._ ”

Jacen didn’t bother to answer. He stared ahead, extending his senses in every direction. Cast his thoughts across every crevice, every outcropping. Felt for upcoming turns in the mountain terrain, including places for a jump and places where he could hide. He had done it so well before, hiding among the natives as one of their own. They would never find Kalaban after what he’d done to him, and Jacen was grateful for the nomad’s sacrifice. His pain would bolster Jacen through the long night that was to come.

But until that night fell and dawn returned, he rode on, letting the moonlight wash over him.

By that light, he could look down and see Allana asleep in his arms. Jacen grinned in triumph. It was really her this time. He tightened his grip around her, and she didn’t even flinch.

“ _No more distractions,_ ” the spirit said, coiling around his heart. He could feel the weight of its power mingling with his own. “ _Remember what you swore to do. Remember the pain of the innocent. Remember the blood spilled for the greater good. Remember that she is the key._ ”

“The key,” Jacen sneered. “She is _mine._ Not yours.”

“ _Remember your teacher,_ ” Pall hissed. “ _Without my wisdom, you are lost._ ”

“Without my bloodline, _you_ are nothing.”

A long pause followed. “ _So it would seem._ ”

When the spirit added nothing further, Jacen shook his head. He held Allana to his chest with one hand and tightened his grip on the reins with the other. The lizard beast howled in protest against the sudden shift of the terrain below its clawed feet, but Jacen twisted his hold on the creature’s mind. He offered it thoughts of food and easy-to-catch prey far beond the foot of the mountain, if only it would take Jacen and his daughter there without delay. The lizard let out another yip, but it obeyed and plowed ahead onto the rocky soil.

With another sharp turn, Jacen drove the lizard toward a small hill. From here, he could abandon the mount—and, after a fashion, keep his promise by letting it go free into the wild. A pile of rocks, once easily dislodged by a blast of his power, would reveal the narrow passage that he and Allana would take to freedom.

Tangrene would be their home for only a short while longer. There was a galaxy to heal, after all.

Such were Jacen’s thoughts that he didn’t sense the surge within the Force until it was too late.

A wave of raw power caught him from behind. Jacen tried to resist, but the anger and pain that drove the telekinetic wave sent him flying off his mount. He turned his tumble into an aerial somersault and landed sure-footed on the hard soil. By the time his feet touched the ground, his lightsaber was in his hand and spitting out emerald fire across the empty plain.

But, to his dismay, Allana was no longer in his arms.

Jacen stared as the girl went sailing back the opposite direction. She came to land atop a bare patch of ground, as Jaina rode up on her lizard mount. But the woman who rode toward Jacen wasn’t the dear sister he remembered. Instead, he saw a warrior with her teeth bared and tears streaming from her eyes. Her lightsaber’s violet glow illuminated Allana’s face, and for the first time, Jacen could actually see a hint—just a hint—of Jaina’s own face in the girl.

He’d told Corvus Pall the truth, after all. Their bloodline _was_ powerful.

It was also, he decided, troublesome.

Jaina leapt from her saddle and landed feetfirst on the ground. She raised her lightsaber over her shoulder and stared Jacen down with relentless fury.

“If you ever come near this girl again,” she swore, “I’ll kill you.”

Jacen raised his blade to guard. “You haven’t seen her destiny, Jaina. I _have._ I know what she’s capable of, but without my guidance, she’ll never learn.” Then he angled his blade toward her face. “And neither, it seems, will you.”

They stared at each other in silence. A thousand emotions flooded through their bond, as raw and real as the day they were born. Pain, anger, fear, love, and heartbreak. All exposed at last. Jacen nearly wept at how far the chasm between them had grown. At how much agony lay between them. A far cry from their happy days on Yavin 4 and Coruscant.

In his heart, he bid goodbye to those memories. He let go of the brother he’d been to her.

Then Jaina leapt forward, and their sabers met in a snarl of fire.


	5. Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaina and Jacen face each other in the open. The tide finally turns.

**5\. Guardian**

Years ago, they’d sparred like this before. In the clearing outside the Massassi temple on Yavin 4, with only jungles surrounding them, the same green and violet blades had clashed under their uncle’s watchful eye. Form after form, blow after blow, all while finding their own tempo, and trying to match each other’s. One-two-three, one-two-three-four. Spin, dodge, thrust, and parry. Evade this strike. Feint, and then sweep the legs. Slip out of guard and angle for the shoulder. But never a fatal hit. Their attending Jedi Master would sense it coming and stop the fight.

No such rule existed for Jacen and Jaina on the rocky plains of Tangrene.

Jacen lunged and spun his blade in a ferocious whirl. Jaina barely had time to deflect it and use his momentum to add to her riposte. On the rocky soil, there was no elevation to claim or lose. Jacen leapt out of reach of her blade and lifted his own to guard. He stuck hard. He struck fast. Jaina blocked again, and this time, her elbows buckled against the strain. She grit her teeth and dug in her heels.

A sudden twist from her wrist from her right sent his blade spinning away. Jacen leapt back again, summoning his lightsaber back to his hand in time to block her own aggressive thrust. Jaina hammered down two more blows, but Jacen stood his ground. Green fire flickered in his eyes as their blades crossed and locked against each other again.

“Slow,” he sneered at her. “Predictable. Rigid. You’re a perfect Jedi now.”

Jaina blinked away more tears. “And you’ve given up your chance to be one.”

“I’m so much more than you could ever imagine.”

“Oh yeah? What’s it like being a Sith Lord’s pet?”

Jacen snarled, and once more, he pushed Jaina away. With a feint, he angled for her head, but below, he half-turned and kicked at her ankle. Jaina barely dodged the hit, stumbling against the rocks for only a moment. She regained her balance and pointed out her lightsaber, teasing away his next series of blows with gentle, subtle nudges.

He was a passionate fighter now. Not at all the mild student she’d faced years ago. And like any would-be darksider, Jacen’s passion was an engine that never ran out. Jaina’s blows and parries, while skillful, would never last long against his pure anger.

Planting her feet again, Jaina continued to test her brother’s patience. She absorbed one strike after another, studying his technique. Looking for something to exploit. A thousand hours of her advanced training with Mara came to her mind, and she let her reflexes do the work while her keen wits sought the opening.

But she found nothing.

Nothing at all.

He _had_ no holes. Every circular spin fed into another strike, another deflection, all without a single pause. Jaina couldn’t believe it.

And she wouldn’t last much longer either.

When Jacen retreated half a step, Jaina lunged and angled for his sword hand. But instead of striking at his wrist, she suddenly dropped to her knees. Red-hot agony blasted through her brain, and she dropped her weapon as red, then white, light scoured away her vision.

Something was clamped around her neck. Jaina tried to pull it free, but to no avail.

“All these years, and you’ve learned nothing,” Jacen spat from somewhere beyond the white. “Uncle Luke would be so disappointed.”

Somewhere in the Force, beyond the pain that crippled and blinded her, Jaina sensed a fist being clenched. She traced the weight of that fist back to an arm, and that arm back to a shoulder, and that shoulder’s atery toward a fast-beating heart that might as well have been her own.

She remembered that heartbeat. On cold nights on Anoth. On many long voyages across the galaxy. On countless flights on the _Falcon._ Jaina knew that heartbeat better than any other sound.

With one last thrust, she angled her lightsaber straight toward his chest.

He parried, but the damage was already done. With his concentration broken, Jacen’s telekinetic stranglehold broke. Jaina collapsed against the hard ground, gasping and coughing up blood. She curled into a fetal position, letting her blade extinguish.

She heard a sigh, and then footsteps approaching. The familiar hum of a lightsaber hovered near her strained throat.

“We all have a destiny, Jaina,” Jacen declared over the pervasive hum. “Some just meet it sooner than others, that’s all.”

* * *

Corvus Pall, Lord of the Sith, watched his victory emerge on the soil of Tangrene.

He was old. How long had he endured? The years were embers scattered in the wind, so far back that he could no longer remember. Nor did he care. The dark side of the Force had sustained him across millennia, rising and falling in his slumber as the tide of history spawned new wars and new generations of the ancient grudge.

The Jedi against the Sith. The light against the dark.

He’d lived when the Jedi were young and wise. When he’d died on Dromund Kaas, slain by his rivals, Corvus Pall had sensed the change within his distant brethren. The Jedi had grown soft and complacent. They cared only to be stewards of a cowardly people, not masters of their fate.

Pall had sought to change all that with the mind of his student.

Jacen Solo would be a preeminent vessel of the dark side, channeling its power through the lens of his inner light. But Pall had to tread carefully. Sith magic had been his life’s work, and he knew all too well how the subtle interplay of light and dark could affect a Force-user’s will. Lean too far into the shadows, and you would weaken your own creations with your vicious desire. Permit too much of the light, and your strength would dissipate like so many hydrogen atoms in the depths of space.

He fed on Jacen’s anger and focused it through his love. Or what remained of that love.

Yet now, as the girl he’d once called a sister lay battered on the ground, Jacen hesitated.

Pall would not permit another delay.

“ _Break her,_ ” he ordered. “ _Slay her, and reclaim the girl. You are so close!_ ”

As the young man hesitated, Pall conjured up all the familiar images. He made the boy see his child sitting on a white throne, as millions bowed down to her. He made him see new temples being erected on Coruscant and Yavin 4, on wild Dantooine and forgotten Ossus. He weaved together tales of heroism and swift, decisive justice. Whatever the boy would desire, so long as he performed one more sacrificial rite.

Anger against love. Ambition against fear. When properly balanced, the dark side would make a weapon out of the light that none could withstand.

Even so, the lightsaber trembled in the boy’s hand.

Pall no longer had a mouth, but still he snarled into Jacen’s ear. “ _Where is the passion you once showed me, boy? Your destiny is laid bare! End it here, and you will save your child!_ ”

“I have to save her,” Jacen said aloud.

“ _Yes, yes!_ ”

“I... have to save her!”

But before Pall could respond, another voice reached Jacen’s ears. A cold, regal voice.

“You are not her father. Not anymore!”

When Jacen looked up, Corvus Pall felt the first wave of the Force approach. He summoned up the strength of the dark side, all his hatred and rage at being denied his chance. With a twist of his will, he forced Jacen’s hand up and tried to catch the blast.

But against all odds, the wave of light slammed Jacen back from his sister. He dropped to his knees, and a second blast of the Force yanked the lightsaber from his grip.

A third and final strike of the newcomer’s will bent Jacen’s head to his chest. Pall struggled to regain control, but the more he fought, the more constricted he became. The light blinded and overwhelmed him. Trapped him within the confines of a young man’s heart, to the anchor they had forged together at the temple on Dromund Kaas.

“ _No!_ ” Pall cried. If he had fists, he would slam them against the walls of his newfound prison. “ _No, you can’t! I will not yield!_ ”

He shrieked through Jacen’s voice now, letting the others feel his presence for the first time. Let them marvel at his power. Already, Pall was imagining what horrors and torments he could inflict on them when his rise to power was complete.

But through Jacen’s eyes, he saw a queen striding toward them. A woman with one arm.

A woman whose one hand clutched a turqoise lightsaber.

“Depart from him, Sith Lord,” the Jedi queen warned. She raised her blade toward Jacen’s neck. “You will not be given another chance.”

“ _Never!_ ” Corvus Pall snarled. He forced Jacen’s hands into fists, and with the blackest desire, he summoned the power that would bring Force lightning. Enough power to crush these women and end this pathetic Jedi threat once and for all.

Then the queen lowered her blade, just long enough to look Jacen in the eye.

“Then I’m sorry,” she said with bated breath. “Forgive me, Jacen.”

The light that poured from her hand and into Jacen’s presence was worse than before. Blinding like the sun. Blinding like a thousand suns, all flaring and scorching Pall’s spirit. In his agony, he sensed another mind joining theirs. The Force bond that the boy shared with his sister returned. Jaina Solo’s mind joined with the Jedi queen, matching her presence in a harmony that surprised Pall. Together, their wall of light became a spear that stabbed through Jacen, right into the anchor that bound him to the Sith Lord.

Corvus Pall screamed without stopping.

He howled and bit and tried to fight back, to clutch to the comforting darkness. He would damn every last Jedi to every level of hell ever conceived, and he would deliver them there himself. But no lightning or magic remained for him to grasp. No words of the Sith tongue came to his mouth to redeem him. Every last trick and spell he’d ever devised failed him.

As the anchor to Solo’s heart dissolved in a tide of light, Corvus Pall faded into the void.

* * *

When Jaina sat up, she saw stars, and not just the ones beyond Tangrene’s atmosphere. She groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead, waiting for everything to settle. Squeezing her eyes shut, she began an autogenic breathing technique. One more trick from Mara, designed to accelerate the healing process. And, for a moment, it did help. Jaina stopped feeling like the ground was about to swallow her or that her brain was about to burst. She clutched one hand down to the soil, and with another quick breath, she hoisted herself to her knees.

“Relax,” Tenel Ka whispered in her ear. A strong hand gripped Jaina’s shoulder. “It’s only me.”

“Your timing... impeccable as always, I see...”

“Must you make jokes now?”

“Sorry. It’s in the genes.” Jaina paused, catching her breath as she did. She turned to look over at Allana. “And speaking of genes—”

“She’s fine.” Tenel Ka squeezed Jaina’s shoulder again before moving to her daughter. Despite her weakened state, Jaina still felt obligated to reach out with the Force and gently lift her niece into the air before depositing her into Tenel Ka’s arm. Watching the two reunite made it a little easier to breathe.

It certainly beat looking over at her unconscious brother.

Jaina didn’t turn around, but she reached through the Force. Her mind didn’t settle on Jacen, but on the space around him, and on the passive aura he projected.

She caught flashes of pain. Anger. Fear. Heartbreak. Somewhere in there, she could still sense the memories, the hopes and dreams that she remembered from her twin. But in the duel that had just occurred, Jaina knew only suffering and blind rage. It was like someone had taken a hologram of her brother and corrupted the data source, leaving it almost unrecognizable.

But she and Tenel Ka had rooted out the corruption. Hadn’t they?

“Hush now.” From across the plain, Tenel Ka’s voice came out low and soothing. Jaina turned and refocused on the sight of her consoling Allana. “It’s all right. You’re going to be fine.”

With another groan, Jaina hobbled to her feet and began the long walk over to them. She kept her lightsaber clipped at her belt and her hands free. When Allana looked up from her mother’s shoulder, Jaina made sure that she didn’t see a beat-up soldier, but a smiling, love-filled young woman that she could call an aunt.

“Hey, kiddo,” Jaina greeted her. “How are you feeling?”

Allana whimpered. “Is he... is he going to...?”

“He’s asleep right now,” Jaina reassured her. She dropped to a crouch beside Tenel Ka and gave the little girl a pat on the head. “We’ll have someone take him to Coruscant. He won’t hurt you. I promise.”

Allana nodded, looking far too solemn for a girl her age.

Biting down on her bottom lip, Jaina reached over and stroked her niece’s dark hair. “It’s going to be fine. It’s like I told you. Your Aunt Jaina’s good at making the monsters run away.”

“Mm-hmm.” Allana looked from Jaina to Tenel Ka. “I don’t feel the bad man in Jacen anymore.”

“The bad man?” Tenel Ka echoed.

“I think he’s gone. Like Aunt Jaina said.”

Tenel Ka looked over at Jaina. The words _Sith spirit_ were practically dancing on her lips, but she said nothing. Jaina gave her a nod in confirmation.

“I suppose you’re right,” Tenel Ka finally said. She bent down and kissed Allana again. “Come, my love. We need to get you somewhere safer than here.”

Jaina helped the two of them to their feet, although Tenel Ka refused to let Allana’s feet touch the ground again. As she did, her ears pricked up at the distant hum, and when she looked over her shoulder, Jaina couldn’t stop herself from grinning.

She caught sight of two white lights brightening into view. Those lights became the headlamps for a transport, and after a minute, that transport became the familiar battered outline of a U-wing. Jaina raised her hand and waved as the old ship touched down less than half a klick away from them.

When the side hatch opened, Shada appeared. Close behind her and leaning heavily on the hull was a taller, older man with unbound gray hair and an even older spacer’s jacket. Jaina almost raced to his side, but a quick check in the Force revealed a stubborn pride against help that she found all too familiar, being a Solo _and_ a Skywalker by blood. Instead, Jaina kept pace with Tenel Ka and Allana as Shada D’ukal came racing toward them.

“Is anyone else hurt?” Shada asked. She glanced around the scene. “Did Jacen—?”

“Over there,” said Jaina. With a flick of her wrist behind her, she added, “Call your people. Tell them we need a second shuttle, some strong crewmates, and a ysalamiri if you’ve got one.”

Shada tilted her head to the side. “Is it that bad?”

“No idea until we get him to Coruscant.” Jaina closed her eyes and pinched at the bridge of her nose. She sighed. She was so tired now. Old and tired, after what felt like several decades of running. “I... I don’t know. It’s something Luke and the other Masters can sort out. I only know how to fight darksiders.”

“Well, you’ve had a lot of practice at it.” Talon Karrde’s smooth voice reached them from across the plain. He was already hobbling over to the women, clutching at his side as he walked. Despite the thin sheen of sweat on his face, he looked about the same as Jaina remembered him. Slightly grizzled, and slightly distinguished. An aristocrat’s idea of a deep space smuggler.

“What exactly did Jacen do to you?” asked Jaina.

“Hmm.” Karrde pressed a finger to the side of his head. “I don’t remember all of it. Aves and I... we’d gone to meet Kalaban, one of the elder tribesmen. He took us out to see the weapons cache, and the next thing I know, everything’s gone black and I’m in a galaxy of pain.” He shrugged. “I don’t remember too much. I woke up inside a cave, and Jacen left before I could speak to him.”

“We picked up Aves nearby,” Shada commented. She flashed a worried look at where Jacen lay. “Seems like your brother put him in some kind of Jedi trance.”

“And what’s more, he’d commandeered one of my ships from Tatooine.” Karrde shook his head with disgust. “Dankin just reported in. Seems that my friend Brasco Hoster was found wandering the dunes outside Anchorhead, with no memory of what happened to him or his ship.”

Tenel Ka blinked. “I don’t understand. Jacen did not kill anyone else?”

“No one that we know about.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” With an anxious glance over her shoulder, where Allana’s head rested, Tenel Ka regarded the prone man lying on the ground. “Jacen was... he was under the influence of a Sith Lord’s spirit. I cannot imagine that Sith would let him show any mercy. Even now, he’d been ready to kill Jaina in cold blood.”

Jaina swallowed. “I’m not so sure about that.”

Karrde scrutinized her. “Why’s that?”

“Because I felt something turn inside him, right at the end.” Jaina finally turned and faced the dark-robed man she’d called a brother. Even from this distance, she could feel the rise and fall of his chest. Could sense the blood and air circulating through his body, however strained it might have become. And, as always, that gentle heartbeat she recognized as much as she did her own. “I don’t have any proof, but... I think some part of Jacen kept resisting this Sith Lord. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he have kept killing whoever stood in his way?”

Tenel Ka shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“Me neither, if I’m being honest.” Jaina clutched at the side of her neck, pausing to catch her breath again. She savored a long inhale and exhale. Then she returned her attention to Shada and Karrde. “Please, get these two back on the _Wild Karrde_. I’ll be here until your team can come and restrain my brother.”

Jaina turned away, but she felt Shada reach out to stop her.

“You don’t have to,” the other woman protested. “Jaina, you’ve done enough.”

At first, Jaina didn’t answer. Then she glanced over at Tenel Ka, who looked equally concerned, and Jaina nodded at her. Without a word, she nudged Shada’s hand away and made the long walk back to where Jacen lay crumpled on the ground. Jaina sat cross-legged beside him, hands folded in her lap. She kept her eyes focused on the cold terrain around them, and as the U-wing’s engines whined behind her, Jaina savored a precious moment of peace in what had become far too long a journey.


	6. Savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacen is detained, and Jaina returns to her family. Meanwhile, she has a question about the future she and Tenel Ka will share.

**6\. Savior**

Clouds gathered in the afternoon when Jaina’s U-wing came in for a landing on Coruscant. Her transport glided past numerous checkpoints in orbit, past the shadow of two pristine Mon Calamari star cruisers, and past the gleaming spire of the Atmospheric Control Center that produced that same gray sky. Even with the overcast conditions, the entire planet still gleamed, producing enough light from millions of glow globes and air taxi headlamps to outshine the stars in orbit.

Jaina let Beethree, newly oiled and debugged from the _Wild Karrde’_ s repair bay, take over the final landing cycle. She stretched her arms and proceeded to the rear of the main hold, where her passengers sat.

She offered a reassuring smile to Tenel Ka and Allana. When she turned, Jaina’s smile vanished.

Sitting near the back, with his hands bound in front of him and a ysalamir strapped to a wooden frame across his shoulders, Jacen remained motionless. He hadn’t made eye contact with Jaina since the moment Karrde’s people took him into custody. He’d refused to answer a single question during the entire trip. Jaina couldn’t even feel the bond they once shared. Instead, she got a glimpse of a ragged tear in the Force, where their emotions used to mingle so easily.

The U-wing touched down on a landing pad near the New Jedi Temple. Jaina glanced out the side viewport at the welcoming committee. In the shadow of the ziggurat stood half a dozen people, all wearing colored hooded robes—what in recent years had become the Order’s new uniform. Jaina reached out with the Force, getting a feel for the crowd.

When she detected a flow of concern and a set of familiar presences, she allowed a small smile to return to her face.

With a whistle, Beethree opened the side hatch. He unplugged himself from the co-pilot’s station and rolled over to escort Tenel Ka and Allana. Meanwhile, Jaina hung back with her brother. She gave him a quick lookover.

“Can you walk?” she asked him.

Jacen nodded. He grunted under the weight of the ysalamir and slowly rose from his seat. Jaina stayed exactly half a step behind him as he proceeded to the open hatch.

When they stepped outside, three Jedi Knights in orange robes arrived. Their hoods were drawn, obscuring their faces. However, the one in the lead was shorter than Jaina, and he spoke Bocce with the unmistakable accent of a Sullustan.

“We will take the prisoner from here,” he said.

Jaina nodded. As the guards took Jacen by both arms and escorted him across the landing pad, she briefly wondered if she should say something. But then she wondered if there was anything she could say. Anything that’d matter at this point.

Meanwhile, Tenel Ka and Allana stood facing a semicircle of Jaina’s family. As she approached, Jaina caught sight of her Uncle Luke, now wearing sand-colored robes and nodding as he listened to Tenel Ka. When Allana looked around, she caught sight of Jaina and pointed. Soon, everyone was looking at Jaina, and she braced herself for the onslaught of fierce hugs and teary-eyed greetings.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” Leia Organa Solo hissed in her ear. “I get enough of that from your father as it is.”

Jaina blushed. Then she kissed her mother on the cheek. “I really _am_ sorry, Mom.”

“I’m just glad you’re safe, sweetie.”

“Me, too.”

Leia held her out at arm’s length, regarding Jaina for a moment. It occurred to Jaina that her mother looked far older now than when she’d left on this mission. Her hair had gone grayer, and there was a little more weight in her voice than before. Even her humble brown robe was a stark contrast to the Senatorial gowns she’d once worn. But still, the joy in her eyes made her a little younger, reminding Jaina of her childhood and of her mother’s wartime holograms.

“Now,” said Leia, “what’s this I hear about a granddaughter?”

Jaina turned and shared an embarrassed look with Tenel Ka. Standing off to the side, Luke and Mara both wore the biggest grins. Jaina felt another stab of embarrassment through her chest. But, of course, _they’d_ know before anyone else.

Then Jaina knelt down and gently nudged Allana forward. The little girl turned and gave her a mild look of concern. Jaina sensed the question burning on her lips, and she smiled.

“That’s right, sweetheart,” she told Allana. “You have _another_ grandmother.” Then Jaina winked. “She’s not a queen, but I promise this one’s a lot nicer.”

Allana smiled. When she looked back, she had no time to prepare for the sudden hug she got from Leia. Jaina watched her mother lift the girl into her arms and whisper something that made Allana giggle. Then Mara was leaning over and giving Jaina a side-hug, and Luke turned to clap Tenel Ka on the shoulder.

“Please,” he said, “consider yourself part of the family, for however long you choose to stay.”

Tenel Ka nodded, her gray eyes going soft like the clouds overhead. She reached up and touched Luke’s hand with her own. “Thank you, Master Skywalker.”

* * *

Back in the Skywalker residence, Luke had returned his old furnishings to the room he’d used for his seclusion. For the first time in a long while, their apartment inside the temple actually felt like a kind and familiar place again. Jaina sat on a couch in between him and Mara as they watched events play out on the holoprojector table.

Jaina’s heart nearly leapt in her throat. It wasn’t an easy thing to watch.

A live feed from a security camera showed the main hall outside the Temple Detention Center. Orange-robed Knights, being responsible for the safety of the Temple and its students, patrolled the corridors with precise and muffled footsteps. They parted as two of their number led Jacen past the Olbio trees that lined the walls outside the holding cells. Each tree contained one or more ysalamiri. With so many of the creatures dampening the Force’s effects through their protective auras, any attempt to mind trick or blast the guards would be futile. Jaina had seen more than one rogue Force-user be taken to these cells, but she’d never imagined her own brother would be one of them.

Jacen paused outside the door to his new cell. For a second, his eyes drifted up, and he was almost looking right into the camera.

Right at Jaina, in fact.

She shivered, and the moment passed. Jacen’s head dropped again, and he let the guards take him into his cell and close the door behind them.

“Do you need anything?” Mara asked. She put her hand on Jaina’s arm and looked her over. “I mean, besides the longest sleep of your life.”

Jaina shook her head. “No, thank you. I... I don’t know about sleeping just yet. There’s a lot...” She didn’t know to continue, so she closed her mouth and reconsidered. “I’ll have some things to wrap up first. That’s all.”

Mara nodded. “Of course. Whatever you need.” She rubbed at Jaina’s shoulder, and Jaina was reminded of the many hours they’d spent together on Yavin 4. Half a lifetime ago.

“What you did was no easy feat,” Luke added. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he glanced over at Jaina. She’d noticed that he’d trimmed his beard in the time since she’d been away. “Facing Jacen like that, and being able to distinguish his true self from the spirit’s corruption, takes a lot more insight than even most Jedi possess. But, being his sister, you have more insight into him than others.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.” Jaina crossed her arms. She glanced back at the holoprojector, which had switched off in the interlude. “All I did was lose a fight on Tangrene. Even Tenel Ka did more than me.”

“But you looked for the good inside your brother.” Luke nodded. “That’s what matters, Jaina. The light doesn’t simply stand in opposition to the dark. It grows inside of us. It grows from our actions, and even a simple gesture of kindness can fill the galaxy with hope.” He nodded toward the holoprojector. “You might not see it now, but it may be that Jacen will remember who he is because of how you stayed with him at the end.”

Jaina remembered the encounter on Tangrene. Not only the duel, but sitting beside Jacen when he awoke. Seeing the pain in his eyes, which turned to resignation when Karrde’s smugglers arrived with blasters and a frame-mounted ysalamir. As the Force-nullifying bubble settled between them, Jaina couldn’t read Jacen’s feelings anymore.

But she remembered the flicker of recognition when their eyes had met.

It was a start, at least.

“You know,” Mara commented, leaning over Jaina’s shoulder, “that your uncle’s the exception to the rule. You redeem _one_ Sith Lord, and suddenly you think you can repeat the trick every time.”

“Excuse _me_ ,” Luke interjected, showing a hint of his old smile, “but weren’t you an Imperial assassin once upon a time?”

“Yeah, until someone took out the Emperor I worked for.”

“And who got you to join the Republic again? I always forget.”

Mara narrowed her eyes, but her teeth were still showing through a grin. A decidedly vicious grin. “Easy there, Skywalker. I can always go back and carry _out_ his last order.”

“I’d like to see you try, Jade,” said Luke, stroking his bearded chin.

Jaina tried to suppress a laugh, but it came out as a snort. She fell back into her seat, listening to her aunt and uncle banter, and she realized how badly she’d missed this. It had been a long time flying missions with Wraith Squadron and dealing with the fallout from Jacen’s actions. Even the last family gathering on Coruscant had been a hard one, as they stood and watched the fall of Hapes live on the HoloNet.

It was only then that Jaina remembered she had somewhere else to be.

She couldn’t fix everything with her brother, but she could do at least one thing right.

* * *

She found Tenel Ka standing on the balcony of the Solo residence, overlooking the Senate District. The balcony was high enough to afford a good eye-level view of 500 Republica, which itself towered over the other major edifices of the district. However, a privacy field ran day and night over the balcony, shielding the Solos from cam droids and air taxis full of tourists who might want to catch a glimpse of the Rebellion’s biggest heroes. The only downside to the field was its violet shimmer, reflected both inside and out, so when Jaina came up to Tenel Ka, she found the former queen standing in a colorful haze that, to her eyes, was breathtaking.

“You seem to be fitting in well,” Jaina remarked.

Tenel Ka turned around and answered with a tight smile. She’d changed out of her civilian attire and donned a humble green tunic and robe, reminiscent of her old lizard-hide armor, but still regal enough for her status. Although, now that Jaina considered it, she didn’t know if her friend even wanted to look the part of a queen.

She thought back to their last conversation on the U-wing. She remembered Tenel Ka’s hand resting over hers, her lips curving upward as she said, _I want this. The three of us. More than anything else._

Jaina swallowed. “Do you, um, feel settled in yet?”

“I’m beginning to, yes.” Tenel Ka approached, her hand already reaching out. Without thinking, Jaina took it. She followed Tenel Ka’s gaze past the balcony and over to the open doors leading into the apartment. “But I think Allana already feels right at home.”

It was a precious sight, and Jaina would fight anyone who disagreed. Past the outer doors, in the living room, Leia sat with her new granddaughter on her lap. Allana watched as Anakin Solo, her new uncle, showed off a small oblong droid that he’d been rebuilding for some time. The little droid’s claw-like manipulators wobbled, and then one rose in a tiny wave, mimicking the gesture exactly as Anakin made it. Allana giggled, and so did Leia as she tightened her arms around the little girl. Jaina had half a mind to run over and join them, but she was content to watch.

“She gets to everyone,” Jaina admitted. “That kid could charm the fur off an angry Wookiee.”

Tenel Ka shot her a teasing smile. “Do you know you sound just like your father when you talk like that?”

Jaina blushed. “Sorry. Force of habit.”

“No, it’s fine.” Tenel Ka gave her hand a squeeze. “It’s part of who you are. You’re not afraid to be yourself, no matter the role you play.”

“And what about you?” Jaina swallowed again. Fought past the dread churning in her stomach. “Your people? Are you still committed?”

“I’ve... thought it over.” Tenel Ka’s face fell. She lowered her eyes to their hands, locked together, and then her eyes drifted up to Jaina’s face. Another tight smile appeared. “Master Skywalker said he received a message from my mother on Dathomir. She’s rallied several clans to her side. After the last Nightsister incursion, they’re more loyal than ever to our family.”

“To the royal family?” Jaina asked.

Tenel Ka shook her head. “No. To my mother and her bloodline.” She paused. “I... I spoke with my mother by holocomm earlier. She is well, and she has made a decision regarding the throne.”

Jaina didn’t dare breathe. Her heart hammered in her chest.

“And?” she asked softly.

“And we will fight on,” Tenel Ka answered. With each word, she seemed to grow taller. A few more centimeters, and her stature from Jaina’s perspective could easily eclipse 500 Republica across the way. “The Hapan people do not deserve the misery that these Ni’Korish will bring. Even now, the Republic has intercepted transmissions from within the Cluster of a resistance movement on Maires, with allies gathering near Telkur Station. And so, I am committed. I will join my mother, and together, we will take back the throne.”

Jaina nodded. Her heart sank, but she wouldn’t let it show. “I understand—”

“But not for ourselves,” Tenel Ka interrupted.

Now it was Jaina’s turn to pause. “I’m sorry? What was that?”

Tenel Ka turned to face Jaina fully. Their hands never let go of each other. “I said, we will go and reclaim Hapes from the usurpers, but we’ve reached a decision.” Her gaze sharpened. “My mother has seen that the Hapans aren’t ready for a Jedi ruler, let alone a dynasty. And this journey that I’ve taken has made me realize...” Her voice faltered, but only for a moment. “I do not think I could bear it if I were to lose Allana to another revolt.” Her eyes flickered up to Jaina’s face. “And I could not bear it if taking the crown meant losing _you._ ”

Jaina stared. “Tenel Ka, I...”

“I meant what I told you before.” Tenel Ka smiled. Her hand tightened around Jaina’s. “I would rather have the three of us together than apart.”

“But your family—”

“Will be fine,” Tenel Ka finished. Her smile only grew wider. “After we rescue my father and restore order, I believe that my mother can... _persuade_ him to join us on Coruscant.” She slid a glance past Jaina’s shoulder at the family gathered inside. “And in any case, I cannot find it in my heart to deny my daughter the wonderful new relations she’s discovered.”

“Like her new aunts and uncles?” Jaina said with a teasing grin.

“And her grandparents. If your father approves, that is?”

“Are you kidding?” Jaina snorted. “Dad’s already grumbling that he’s gonna have to childproof the _Falcon_ again.”

Tenel Ka laughed, and the ripple of that sweet sound through the late evening air made Jaina grin wider than before. She stepped closer, and without waiting for permission, she reached over and put her other hand on Tenel Ka’s shoulder. When their eyes met, Jaina took a long breath and felt her pulse quicken.

Their lips met, and Jaina felt months upon months of worry and fatigue drift off the balcony. She pulled Tenel Ka closer, and she forgot all about long-dead Sith Lords and Hapan intrigues.

Some time later, they stood side-by-side, watching the air traffic patterns in Coruscant’s skies.

“Tenel Ka?”

“Yes, Jaina?”

“Once we take back Hapes, I’m leaving Wraith Squadron.”

A pause. “I see. When, may I ask, did you decide this?”

“About two seconds ago.”

“I see.”

They fell silent, but when they glanced at each other, the two women couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Jaina pulled Tenel Ka into her arms and raked her fingers through the other woman’s rust-colored curls. She savored every scent and every texture, and she knew that this was the path she needed.

Still laughing, they walked back inside, hand-in-hand, ready to share the good news with everyone else.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted a good way to wrap up this series (for now, anyway), and it took a lot of rewrites to get this far. Consider this my fix-it fic for both the NJO and Legacy series.


End file.
